St Helens Borough Arts Strategy Background Information

ST HELENS BOROUGH ARTS STRATEGY BACKGROUND INFORMATION

1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Strategy has been developed at a pivotal In developing this Strategy, we have adopted an time for St Helens in terms of its arts and cultural approach which recognises that the Strategy development. In 2023, St Helens will be the Borough needs to be co-produced and co-owned by of Culture for the Liverpool City Region when the Arts sector and that responsibility for its residents, the wider region and the nation will be delivery and implementation will be a shared invited to judge St Helens. This will be a significant responsibility. This is very much in the spirit of the opportunity for St Helens as a place to showcase #StHelenstogether philosophy. This approach has that we have some great assets, organisations, and resulted in a shared recognition of the challenges artists and that we are pioneers in socially engaged ahead and a shared commitment to the Strategy’s arts practice. vision and priorities. The development of the Strategy has been supported and overseen by a We know that we have many of the key ingredients Steering Group consisting of representatives from to produce a thriving and vibrant arts and culture arts organisations, the wider cultural sector, the offer which will support the wider strategic education sector and officers of St Helens Borough ambitions of the Council and the priorities of Arts Council. The Steering Group has played a pivotal Council England and the Liverpool City Region 1 role in shaping the approach of the Strategy, Cultural Compact . We recognise that we can build agreeing the priorities for action and developing a on these foundations and on our heritage to respond Delivery Plan based on a clear set of principles and to the challenges and opportunities ahead. an agreed methodology. This Strategy sets out the change we want to The Strategy has included a significant period of achieve over the next decade and will help to put consultation. One clear and constant theme that has in place the conditions that will enable creative emerged from the consultation is that the St Helens practitioners and organisations to respond to what Arts Strategy must be ambitious, must be unique to lies ahead. St Helens and must maximise our assets. In January 2020, St Helens Borough Council This Strategy focuses on the three Arts Council commissioned Counterculture to help the Borough England (ACE) priorities: Creative People, Cultural develop a 10-year Arts Strategy with the aim of Communities and a Creative and Cultural Country 2. establishing the strategic direction of the arts for It acknowledges that everyone has the capacity to the next 10 years and to highlight the wider role be creative and to benefit from creativity, so that the of the arts in supporting the development and Strategy is about both developing the professional regeneration of the Borough, building on the artistic sector and supporting community-led activities that assets already in place and ensuring that the are open to everyone. It is about individuals and Borough can make the most of the opportunities communities living in a creative place and their access and resources available to develop creative talent. to the arts, public arts and to arts and heritage assets.

It is about developing cultural infrastructure, skills b) develop an approach to support public realm and knowledge and about diversity, promoting changes in St Helens; and innovation and creative thinking which opens us up to new ideas, perspectives and ambitions. • To align the Arts and Heritage Strategies with the voluntary sector. The vision for the St Helens Borough Arts Strategy The Delivery Plan details how these shared priorities can be summarised in a single word – Emergence. St Helens has always been a place where things will be delivered. emerge – coal from earth, canals from brooks, glass The arts are a revitalising force, which when linked from sand. It is a home of artistry, experiments and to other wider cultural initiatives, deliver positive makers. As St Helens begins to emerge from the impacts on health and wellbeing, community impacts of Covid-19, public art will start emerging cohesion and can play a positive role in planning for from unlikely places; musicians, dancers, singers, the regeneration of the Town Centre and planning and artists will emerge from their bedroom studios for distinctive neighbourhoods. This is a Strategy and lockdown dreams will emerge as inspiration. for everyone in the Borough and recognises that Arts and culture will lead the way for the Borough. if we work collaboratively to strengthen existing Based around this vision, the Strategy identifies partnerships and develop new ones, we can 7 priorities for action and a Delivery Plan for their maximise the huge potential that exists and achieve implementation: results that are not possible working on our own. • To deliver a successful year in 2023 when St Helens The St Helens Borough Arts Strategy provides a is the Liverpool City Region Borough of Culture sustainable, pragmatic and engaged framework for delivering, promoting and inspiring arts and culture • To align the priorities of St Helens Borough in the Borough. It is realistic in its priorities and Arts Strategy with the Borough’s priorities for deliberately seeks to align national, regional and regeneration with a particular emphasis on the local priorities and to promote a working ecology Town Deal 3 that is focused, collegiate and transparent. Arts Council England have been consulted throughout • To align the St Helens Borough Arts Strategy to the development of this Strategy and are fully national and Liverpool City Region arts priorities supportive of St Helens’ ambitions for the arts. and timescales Out of the current pandemic and the resulting • To promote and identify the role of Arts and economic and societal impacts, St Helens will Culture in the Borough and City Region Skills emerge. It is essential that this document is Development Programmes considered as a ‘living’ Strategy and it is reviewed • To maximise the physical assets available and evaluated annually as St Helens itself grows, for Arts provision changes and succeeds. With energy, will and talent, St Helens will inspire its residents, artists • To align with the Liverpool City Region proposals and creative industries to flourish and become the for public art to cultural model for other boroughs to follow. a) develop Dream as an asset and

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2. INTRODUCTION

St Helens is one of six metropolitan boroughs of the in libraries programme. It does not run a conventional Liverpool City region, with a population of just over grant support programme for arts organisations or 180,000. It has a proud history but, like many northern initiatives. towns, has experienced major post-industrial decline and significant levels of deprivation, poor health, In 2014 the Heart of Glass organisation became part unemployment and demand for social care services. of the Arts Council England (ACE) national Creative The Borough has significant ambition and aspiration People and Places programme (CPP) , and St Helens to develop St Helens as an inspiring place to work began to grow its reputation in the area of socially and live, this will be aided through investment planned engaged art. In 2018, Heart of Glass and St Helens from the Towns Fund and the English Cities Fund . The Library Service both became ACE National Portfolio Authority is using arts and culture as a significant part Organisations (NPOs), meaning they are part of the of this drive for change and improvement. group of 800 national arts organisations given four- year regular funding from ACE, in return for playing a To support the Council’s modernisation and national and regionally important role. St Helens is the transformation agenda, the Borough Strategy has only Merseyside borough other than Liverpool to have identified six priorities to: any NPOs. Other arts organisations within the Borough include The World of Glass, MD Productions CIC, St • Ensure children and young people have a positive Helens Theatre Royal, Platform Studios, Citadel Arts, start in life Lucem House Community Cinema Plus+, UC Crew, St • Promote good health, independence and care Helens Sinfonietta and many voluntary and community across our communities organisations. • Create safe and strong communities for our residents St Helens Borough Council has a Music Service which is the lead for the St Helens Music Education Hub • Support a strong, diverse and well-connected and Cultured, the St Helens Local Cultural Education local economy Partnership (LCEP). Both these services focus on • Create a green, thriving and vibrant place to be children and young people. proud of; and As well as St Helens College, the borough is home to • Be a modern, efficient and effective Council. a number of schools with strong arts departments. Carmel Catholic Sixth Form College is one of the top The Council’s Arts Service, based within the 10 sixth form colleges in the country, and attracts arts Communities Department of the Place Directorate, students from across Merseyside for its provision, supports the development of the arts in St Helens including in fashion, textiles and photography. through activities linked to the Library Services’ National Portfolio Organisation aims and objectives, the main delivery of which is Cultural Hubs, the arts

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In 2020, Counterculture were commissioned by The development of the Strategy has been St Helens Council to help develop a Borough supported and overseen by a Steering 10-year Arts Strategy. The brief included four Group 5, consisting of representatives from arts core areas of work to: organisations, the wider cultural sector and education sector and officers of St Helens • review and update any previous mapping of arts Borough Council. activity and provision to understand the ecology, the partnerships and to identify any gaps. The Steering Group has played a pivotal role in shaping the approach of the Strategy, undertaking • consult with key stakeholders and communities, extensive consultation and research, agreeing the in person, by phone and via survey recommendations and developing a Delivery Plan • research relevant placemaking approaches based on a clear set of principles and an agreed elsewhere that could inform St Helens’ approach; methodology. and We would like to thank all members of the Steering • write a Strategy and Delivery Plan with input from Group for their help and commitment to this work. key partners. Counterculture have worked on the principle that the Strategy needs to be co-created with the sector and co-owned with them, rather than being seen as a Council plan. The Strategy has included a significant period of consultation, undertaken by Counterculture, who held 38 individual consultation meetings with stakeholders, key St Helens Borough Council Officers and Cabinet Members4 . To further support the consultation, St Helens Borough Council Arts Service issued an online survey to consult with the local arts ecology, resulted in 67 responses from amateur/voluntary sector arts groups, commercial arts organisations, Charities, Community Interest Companies, individual arts practitioners at various stages of their careers and arts students. 3. PRINCIPLES AND METHODOLOGY

This Strategy has been developed using the • To make key recommendations about the arts, principles and methodology below: delivery processes and the financial context which are sustainable; and Principles • To recognise that this is a partner Strategy and requires To recognise wider operating contexts beyond the the support and commitment from the arts sector and arts and to ensure the St Helens Arts Strategy aligns community to deliver its ambitions and priorities. to national (Arts Council England, Department of Housing, Communities and Local Government Methodology and others) and regional (Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and Local Enterprise A detailed needs analysis to inform the Strategy has Partnership priorities) strategies and supports the been undertaken based on the following: Council’s wider priorities and strategies set out • Understanding of previous work in St Helens in the Borough Strategy. By doing so it offers a Borough and the City Region strategic framework that will allow the Council and partner organisations to access national, regional, • Analysis of operating contexts nationally, regionally and local resources, support and partnerships. and locally To engage the wider cultural sector, including the • Sector consultation, both in St Helens and in voluntary sector and schools and colleges, so that Merseyside they can contribute to and define what is required • Working with the project Steering Group to and how it can be delivered within their individual develop a SWOT 6 analysis and vision and Delivery mission/vision. This transparent engagement, Plan for the Strategy, through workshops in April embracing the St Helens Together philosophy, has and June 2020; and been critical in analysing the current issues facing the Arts sector, its strengths and challenges and • Researching relevant place-based case studies, identifying future priorities: learning lessons from elsewhere. • To understand and learn lessons from other Based on this approach, a number of key principles similar boroughs and recommendations and an accompanying Delivery Plan have been identified, which have then been tested • To deliver a clear and ambitious vision which and sense-checked back with the Steering Group and supports the Borough’s post Covid-19 Recovery Plan other key stakeholders such as Arts Council England and the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority.

10 11 4. RESEARCH AND CONSULTATION PROCESS The first phase in the development of the Strategy National was to review a variety of operating contexts, undertaking consultation with the sector, and Arts Council England (ACE) published its new 10- analysing comparator models elsewhere in the year national strategy Let’s Create in January 2020. UK. The findings were then used by the Steering The Strategy’s focus is on how to create a nation Group to develop a SWOT analysis and agree the that has better access to culture in ‘every village, parameters for a new Arts Strategy. The impact town and city’ by 2030, where creativity in every of Covid-19 has had a significant influence on individual is valued and fostered. The strategy has 3 developing a deliverable plan for the Strategy, and broad outcomes: this is referenced further in section 5. Cultural communities - with culture inputting to placemaking policies at a variety of levels so that Operating Contexts towns and villages thrive through a collaborative Global approach Covid-19 was unknown in the West when this Creative people - with equality of access to Strategy was commissioned. Since then it has developing cultural skills and talents so that changed all operating contexts, for everyone, everyone can develop and express creativity everywhere. It is too soon to know the impact it throughout their life; and will have specifically for St Helens, but it will be A creative and cultural country in terms of economically profound. The positive is likely to fostering a strong professional, innovative and mean increased desire for the sector to provide international cultural sector right across England. excellent arts experiences, and in particular experiences which are scalable and domestic – Art Council England’s delivery plan has still to be what one practitioner termed ‘theatre in a bag’. The developed, since Coivid-19 has forced a major recognition of the need for creativity, the importance recalibration of ACE resources (and reserves) of the amateur as well as the professional sector to but offers an opportunity for boroughs such as deliver creative experiences, and the rapid migration St Helens to take a significant lead in how they to digital experience, all look set to stay and need approach working with ACE on their ambition to to be recognised and reflected in the Strategy. support individuals at every stage of their life, Covid-19 also offers an impetus to taking pragmatic championing a wider range of culture and in decisions – resources cannot be wasted and need particular increasing support for libraries. to be used where they can offer most benefit to most people. However, it is clear that a global recession will have ‘Growing Transformational Cultural Capital’ is a major impact on the Council’s funding and that one of the 4 pillars of the Liverpool City Region of other agencies such as Arts Council England Local Industrial Strategy produced in 2019, which or National Lottery Heritage Funds. Competition in focuses planning and resource around increasing the sector to survive will be fierce and funds will be assets and skills in creativity, as well as pride and limited. In response to this new landscape, it is clear identity in local place. The Cultural Partnership whilst our aspirations and expectations need to be Board’s membership is being aligned with the ambitious, they will also need to be realistic and City Region’s Visitor Economy Board and the City that plans or proposals which may come forward for Region Music Board, both of which have recently new or repurposed buildings or large-scale sector delivered updated strategic plans, to become a resources may not be feasible or achievable. Cultural Compact. The Cultural Compact Board will be responsible for agreeing and delivering a Strategy which: There are also potential opportunities for the St Helens Arts Strategy through the Town Deal • delivers significant visitor numbers and economic programme, initiated in November 2019 by the impact Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. This fund has invited a number of • brings communities together, raising engagement towns to each apply for up to £25m to increase and participation economic growth with a focus on regeneration, • builds the reputation of Liverpool as the UK’s most improved transport, better broadband connectivity, exciting city skills and culture. Submissions are made via a private sector-led Town Deal Board and need to be • endorses the Combined Authority’s ambition to be lodged with central government by January 2021. an exemplar in cultural innovation; and • leads a City Region response to Covid-19 impacts Regional for the creative sector, based around short-term The Liverpool City Region Combined Authority actions to help prevent sector collapse, and a developed its own Cultural Strategy through a newly renewal and rebalanced recovery programme, created Cultural Partnership Board in 2017, with to develop new structures and skills to make the a small annual budget of £300k as a ‘percent for sector and the region more resilient. culture’ from the £30m annual funds for the Authority. It is important for St Helens’ plans and opportunities One of the initiatives was a rotating annual title of that stronger links are made to the Combined Borough of Culture. The first Borough of Culture Authority City Region plans, so that the Borough is year was 2018, the 150th anniversary of St Helens better able to promote its priorities as supportive of creation as a Borough. St Helens will next be a wider Liverpool City Region strategy. The Cultural Borough of Culture in 2023, and this offers a major Compact will also lead on its regional relationship platform for the Borough to demonstrate its arts offer with key funders such as ACE, and as such it is vital and ambition to a wider public. that we are aligned to them.

14 15 St Helens will be referenced in a wider placemaking into a town which engages with its communities, bid to the City Region Strategic Investment Fund 7 health, experience and creativity. (SIF) that is being proposed, drawn up by Culture Liverpool on behalf of the City Region Combined In order to make the most of this exciting Authority. The purpose of the bid (delivered within opportunity, it is important that the Council and each of the six boroughs of the Liverpool City the wider sector stop thinking in silos, work more Region) will be to create commissions which attract collectively, and use combined knowledge and expertise to best effect. The arts sector can support national and international press attention, create 9 a programme of engagement and community the Town Deal Board to achieve agreed and clearly outreach and deliver economic and wellbeing evaluated priorities. The Strategy addresses this point. returns, in line with both the Liverpool City Region Culture & Creativity Strategy as well as individual Sector Consultation, Priorities town and borough development plans. This bid is and SWOT Analysis anticipated to be submitted in early 2021. The wide range of consultation and research has Local developed a comprehensive understanding of the views, wishes and aspirations of the Arts sector to St Helens currently lacks an over-arching Arts inform the development of this Strategy. The key Strategy. Previously, work has been undertaken themes that emerged from this consultation can be on several occasions to recommission a new summarised as: Strategy, but this has not progressed. There has also been an over-reliance by the arts sector on the a) Need for action – there was unanimous Council as the vehicle to both commission strategic agreement that the status quo cannot continue as thinking and fund its delivery. It is important that this is not providing what St Helens needs. the Arts Strategy is a borough strategy and not b) Covid-19 – it was recognised that the impact of solely a Council strategy and that all partners and the pandemic will present a real challenge in organisations commit to its delivery. terms of the likely financial resources that will be The focus on the re-development of St Helens and available. However, the pandemic also presents Earlestown Town Centres offer opportunities for an opportunity to help get the arts and culture connecting the priorities identified through the Arts woven into local and national recovery plans. Strategy into the wider priorities of the Borough c) Learn from elsewhere – places which are Strategy. This is combined with a major investment successful ensure their Arts Strategies have 8 from The English Cities Fund who will be working a realistic business plan, clear principles to with the Council on a £200m investment to revitalise underpin priorities which are properly measured St Helens town centre. The cultural offer is seen and are sufficiently resourced. to be a key delivery arm for town centre physical changes; the vision for the wider town plan is about building confidence in St Helens, through the sense of ‘we can make it together’ and turning St Helens

16 17 d) Build on asset strengths – 2023 will be a major Need for Alignment opportunity for the Borough. There is ambition to do something distinctively different. Studio space There is a history of St Helens not being aligned is affordable in St Helens and could be a real with, or involved in, strategic thinking for arts and driver for artists if considered strategically. There culture in the region and more widely. This includes are significant opportunities to build on the work the wider skills agenda, not just creative skills already done with shops and the Heart of Glass development, and the opportunity to work with as well as the Library Service Cultural Hubs the wider Liverpool City Region plans to ensure programme to develop a distinctive programme Merseyside has a sector skills plan for the creative around community and place-based working that sector, as well as a range of merged back-office can be a real strength for the wider City Region functions for cultural organisations. This requires plans. resilience and long-term senior management input from the Council at City Region level and The voluntary arts sector is regarded as large and ensuring that City Region plans are shared with the varied for a town of St Helens’ size and potentially sector locally, particularly in relation to the Cultural there are big opportunities through Arts Council Compact plans. England’s 10-year Strategy, particularly around talent development and diversity. As the delivery Timing – there are strong opportunities to work with programme for Let’s Create is still to be finalised, Liverpool City Region Cultural Compact just coming there may be opportunities for St Helens to pilot or into play, plus The Shakespeare North Playhouse lead on work in these areas. opening nearby in Knowsley in 2022. Improve visibility Comparative Analysis and Trends Communication about the arts and culture in the Current trends in UK Borough borough needs to improve. Outside the Borough, the only organisation that is known is Heart of Culture Strategies Glass. Inside the Borough, visibility and branding Successful UK borough Arts Strategies recognise around arts activity needs more thought, time and that every borough is different, and an effective resource. For a number of institutions connected to Arts Strategy must be aligned to a borough’s wider the Council, new web pages and more autonomy is priorities. They seek to support and make use of the needed. borough’s successful arts delivery infrastructure, There is a desire by some to have Dream properly to address or restructure underperforming arts maintained, but most of those consulted outside delivery infrastructure, and, if needed, they create St Helens didn’t mention it as an asset. The public new arts delivery infrastructure, skills and funding art planning also needs to support the Heritage streams. Strategy – the two should not be separate – and should also fit within the wider City Region thinking.

18 19 Analysis of successful Arts and Culture Strategies A change in timeframe. Whilst a Heritage Strategy elsewhere identifies the following common features, can look a decade ahead, it is important that there and it is critical that the St Helens Arts Strategy is an initial focus on a detailed five-year plan from adopts and embeds these principles: 2021 to 2026. This will align with the timescale for the Liverpool City Region Cultural Compact • alignment to national and regional culture Strategic Action Plan (which runs until 2026), the strategies 2023 opportunity for St Helens to be Borough of • alignment to wider borough priorities Culture and the work for developing the next round of NPO funding from ACE in 2022. It is also clear • a focus on place and place-making 10 that the impact of radical changes in the national • a focus on sustainability funding environment post Covid-19 will also need to be assessed, and that these will need to be flexible, • they are clearly administered and financially agile and responsive. The Strategy will still be able resourced to support the wider place-making and Heritage Strategy effectively and should be reviewed • there is focus on communication; and annually. Beyond 2023/24, the Borough should take • they are inspiring and ambitious. stock; there are a number of core areas of focus for the ACE and Liverpool City Region strategies Conclusions from Research which play to St Helens strengths and need further development to 2030. These include: and Consultation work • using the arts and culture as a core part of the The information from the local and regional skills programme for young people in the borough consultation, combined with the national analysis of other borough approaches to Arts and Cultural Strategies • working across both NPOs to amplify scope and has helped identify some key conclusions in formulating reach, including connectivity with amateur groups an Arts Strategy for St Helens. These include: • extending its work with public health and through The need for a skilled delivery mechanism. its Arts in Libraries work; and Examples from elsewhere, combined with the • positioning Dream as part of a wider City Region evidence of how St Helens has found it difficult public art programme. and challenging to create and deliver an Arts and Heritage Strategy demonstrates that without Using the possibilities presented by the English a dedicated delivery mechanism to manage, Cities Fund and Town Deal to create the world it resource, communicate and review a Borough-wide wants its residents to live in - a better, more serious, Arts Strategy, it will fail. A similar recommendation more playful, livelier, more joyful, more engaged, is identified in the St Helens Heritage Strategy more confident St Helens. This includes a new document and should combine the focus on both way of working with artists during the town centre arts and heritage under the leadership of Place. development period, a fuller analysis of studio and A component of this work is to recognise and align work/live provision for the creative sector as part of funding streams. the Town Deal, and a review of public civic spaces

20 21 and what is needed to support cultural resource Liverpool City Region Cultural for the next decade. Compact Strategic Action Plan 2021 There is a need for alignment with wider strategic plans, both existing and in development. This was to 2026 true pre Covid-19 but doubly so now as resources Liverpool City Region Combined Authority have deplete. Duplication of effort is not required. The been working through their Cultural Partnership key strategies that St Helens Borough Arts Strategy to ensure that ‘growing transformational cultural must work with include: capital’ is one of the 4 pillars of the Liverpool City Region Local Industrial Strategy. This entails growing Arts Council England 2020-2030 assets and skills as well as pride and identity in Let’s Create local culture. It is planned that this will be monitored and delivered through one of the country’s Cultural ACE’s Strategy will focus on ensuring that the Compacts (This initiative came out of the Cultural country has improved access to culture, that Cities Enquiry 11 in 2019 and is funded by ACE). It creativity in every individual is valued and given will run from 2021 to 2026 and focuses on following the chance to flourish, and that nationally England Arts Council England’s overarching categories and continues to produce professional art of the priorities. highest international quality and appeal. Its pillars of creative people, creative places and a creative Future focused country will be supported by four investment principles around ambition, relevance and The Compact plan is an opportunity to make inclusivity, inventive dynamism and environmental the hard decisions that would get put off under responsibility. ‘Business as Usual’. It will build on and deliver against the key objectives defined by the Liverpool Covid-19 has caused ACE to delay the next NPO City Region Cultural & Creativity Strategy and round for applications until 2022. Both St Helens embed the value of culture and creativity as core Library Service and Heart of Glass will be applying drivers for the success of the Liverpool City Region. to renew their NPO status and it will be important The Compact plan will set in train a five-year cycle that they are able to show how they are supporting of evaluation and renewal that will: wider town and city region strategies, as well as contributing to ACE objectives. • Engage the agency and capacity of artists and cultural organisations in delivery to ensure that places across the city region get the balance right between sector survival, recovery, reboot and transformational growth. • Take on the challenge of Black Lives Matter and put arts and culture at the centre of the struggle for greater equality, diversity and inclusion not only within the sector but also across society. • Develop the role of artists and institutions in identify investment to protect local assets and providing support and stimulus for the radical develop specialist business support to build measures needed to address the climate and develop cultural businesses; That asset- emergency. based approach will further develop capacity in places, communities and businesses across • Build our existing initiatives around developing the city region. It is closely linked to models shared resources – including marketing, of shared resource and staged development communications and ticketing platforms, and already deployed in regeneration across the shared access to rehearsal space – to optimise local authorities, which reflect local priorities utilisation and efficiency of resources and and engagement. Examples from across the city infrastructure across the city region’s cultural region of models that could help both the arts sector. organisations and the local authority to develop • Address structural imbalances and weaknesses asset-led approaches to culture include: within Liverpool City Region’s creative and cultural • MAKE Liverpool & MAKE Hamilton Square, Wirral economy. • Future Yard, Wirral There are a number of key Cultural Compact priorities that the St Helens Arts Strategy can • Festival of Ideas, Bootle, Sefton support and amplify. These include: • The Gamble, St Helens Creative Communities • MD Creatives Arts & Resource Centre, St Helens • The Compact will prioritise community-led • Imaginarium Theatre / Bistro, Knowsley transformation and developing assets within communities across Liverpool City Region, • Culture Hub, Halton reinforcing the adoption of place-specific By helping transfer knowledge and skills from those approaches in which communities and artists play and other exemplars, the Compact Plan will reduce a leading role. duplication of effort and bring about cooperation in place of competition for resource as a better, more Creative Places resilient model for development, building from within • The Compact will explore the development of a rather than relying on external investors or large Public Art Strategy for the Liverpool City Region employers. working in partnership with local authorities and In its prioritisation of investment in local assets, cultural organisations. it observes the principle of subsidiarity - devolving • The Compact will promote investment in assets funding and responsibility to the lowest (and that can amplify the strengths of Liverpool local) level wherever possible, by commissioning, City Region’s creative economy, rather than partnership, private sector partnership and seeking funding to address weaknesses. The sponsorship, supply chain development or Compact responds to the need to map and challenge funding.

24 25 The work will respond to plans for high street and • The Compact will promote a strategic framework to town centre regeneration in local authorities across support retention and attraction of creative talent, the city region. and skills development of the existing workforce. Within this, addressing the under-representation • The Cultural Compact will contribute to and of women, race equality and diversity, and other complement Borough initiatives and ambitions, people with protected characteristics in the which may include developing new regional workforce can help address issues relating to physical assets – like Knowsley’s Shakespeare under-employment and the productivity gap in North Playhouse, opening in Prescot in 2022. LCR’s cultural and creative economy. • The Compact Plan will contribute to building • The Compact provides a framework for actions awareness of the benefits of collaboration and to ensure that equality, diversity and inclusion cooperation, including building on the pilot policies and practice be mainstreamed across established by Augere amongst Liverpool Arts and all the Liverpool City Region’s cultural work to Regeneration Consortium (LARC) and Creative redress the current imbalance of representation Organisations of Liverpool (COoL) organisations and opportunities within the cultural and creative to develop shared platforms for marketing, industries for people from Black and other ethnic communications, ticketing, evaluation, bidding and communities. production services for the whole cultural sector. • The Cultural Partnership will work in partnership • The Compact Plan will contribute to working in with the Growth Platform, the Local Enterprise partnership with artists, cultural organisations and Partnership Digital & Creative Board, the local authorities to align ambition and messages Liverpool City Region Music Board and sector to local and visitor audiences through the city bodies (including, Creative and Cultural Skills, region’s marketing strategy and agencies. ScreenSkills, National College Creative Industries, Creative England and Arts Council England), to Creative People ensure that the creative economy is restored to a • The Compact will work with artists and cultural position in which it can continue to drive economic organisations – building on the Partnership’s growth, jobs and opportunity for all parts of the existing investment resources (1% for Culture and city region, as well as providing an invaluable part Combined Authority Strategic Investment Fund) of the supply chain to the arts and cultural sector. to identify additional funds for commissioning and The Compact Action Plan provides a strategic investment from sources including Government opportunity for the Cultural Partnership to work and national bodies such as Arts Council England, more closely with colleagues in the Liverpool to ensure that Liverpool City Region receives a City Region Digital & Tech, Film and High End TV share of resource commensurate to its appetite, production sectors to broker and explore more ambition and impact. opportunities for collaborative working. • The Compact supports the LCR Music Board’s The key priorities in the strategy were listed as: ambition for every school child in the Liverpool 1. provide capacity and sustain it City Region to have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument. It recognises the need to 2. further protect and enhance the historic improve the quality and consistency of careers environment advice for creative occupations and supports 3. develop first class heritage attractions, facilities the efforts of Music Education Hubs across and services Liverpool City Region in addressing this, along with providing industry placements and mentoring 4. empower the borough’s heritage groups and for school students. That programme needs to interested individuals be extended and replicated across the creative 5. respect and celebrate the Borough’s different sector if Liverpool City Region is to equip the identities and places next generation with the creative, technical and business skills that will be required to sustain a 6. achieve a reputation for celebrating heritage creative occupation by the time they graduate through the arts and culture from school or university. The pace of change in 7. promote the heritage offer to best practice standards the world of work, and the rate at which new job roles emerge and old roles become obsolete, 8. develop and maintain strategic partnerships is accelerating. In collaboration with the Local 9. build momentum through early success; and Cultural Education Partnerships, the Compact will provide a convening forum and observatory for 10. achieve further recognition for the borough’s most sector employers and educators to come together significant heritage asset through UNESCO status. to address that challenge. The Council is now planning to implement some of the actions suggested immediately: St Helens Heritage Strategy 2019 • establishing clear lines of responsibility for This Strategy, ratified by the Council in May 2020, heritage and ensuring heritage is referenced in a proposes an ambitious vision for the future of Cabinet portfolio title Heritage in the Borough: • establishing a virtual team for heritage from across In 2030 St. Helens Borough will have achieved council functions national and international recognition for the • re-establishing the St Helens Borough Heritage significance, quality and management of its heritage Network assets, attractions and infrastructure. Its heritage visitor economy will be thriving, based on industrial • ensuring that links are made with arts and culture heritage and the outdoors, and its communities will and the emerging Arts Strategy; and feel that their heritage and identity is respected and • beginning conversations with key Heritage funders celebrated. about the Strategy.

28 29 They will then develop the recommendations into Heart of Glass forward plan for short, medium and long-term priorities. phase 3 delivery of Creative People St Helens Town Deal and Places and English Cities Fund Heart of Glass has been successful in achieving a St Helens is one of 100 towns to be awarded the third round of ACE funding for its Creative People opportunity by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Places programme from October 2020 to and Local Government to bid for up to £25m in September 2023. This is an important national the Town Deal. This funding will help to increase scheme as well as definite funding to help further economic growth with a focus on regeneration, support socially focused arts practice. It is therefore improved transport, better broadband connectivity, important that any wider St Helens strategy supports skills and culture. This is part of the national strategy this work and helps amplify its impact and works to help rebalance the national economy and ‘level with its planned programme. up’ the regions. The deadline for the first round of applications was January 2021. St Helens has been working on plans to redevelop its town centre, and post Covid-19 the retail difficulties for the town are likely to be even more serious. The opportunity to link the Town Deal strategy with the development opportunity offered through the £200m English Cities Fund investment allows a long-term and large-scale opportunity to review the town centre, and for arts, culture and heritage to play a significant part in its physical change.

30 31 5. DEFINITION, PARAMETERS, PRINCIPLES AND AIMS Definition: • Ensure clear strategic direction; and Strategy: A plan, or set of actions, designed to • Know its own useful lifespan. achieve a long-term aim. Principles Parameters: The Strategy was developed through 3 core What the Strategy cannot and should not do: principles adopted by the Steering Group.

The Strategy cannot tell St Helens Borough Council 1. Transparent Engagement or the arts sector which specific arts and cultural events to programme or produce. The Strategy emerged from significant transparent consultation with national, regional and local art The Strategy must not be dogmatic. It is rather a set culture sectors, including independent creatives, the of principles, aims and themes to work within and local voluntary sector, schools and colleges. which always allow room for creative conversations and indeed creative accidents. 2. Alignment

What the Strategy can usefully do: The Strategy seeks to manage potentially competing priorities by aligning the St Helens Borough Arts • Articulate an ambitious and energising vision Strategy to Arts Council England’s new 10-year and mission national strategy, Liverpool City Region Combined • Identify the prerequisites required to implement Authority’s Cultural Compact and the Borough and deliver a borough-wide strategy Council’s own strategic objectives. By doing so the strategy offers a framework for continuing access to • Present a financial prism to help Council, Steering national, regional and local resource, support and Group and Sector make strategic and realistic partnership. decisions as to viability and sustainability 3. Pragmatism • Help the Council and the Arts Sector to align thinking The Strategy seeks to evaluate ideas and contributions in terms of their viability and practical • Highlight existing successful assets, infrastructure, success. Initially it focuses on successful arts offers organisations and people and amplifying their reach so by 2023, when St Helens is Borough of Culture, it will be a shining • Inspire forward-looking programmes, projects light in arts and culture and a model for the nation to and relationships celebrate and learn from.

32 33 6. STORY, VISION AND MISSION

The story, vision and mission of St Helens Borough Arts Strategy are the messages the Council, Steering Group and sector will work within and communicate for some years to come. The story, vision and mission need to communicate clearly and succinctly. The story needs to relate St Helens past to its future ambitions. The vision needs to encapsulate an over-arching and inspiring goal. The mission is how that goal - that aim - will be practically achieved and measured.

34 35 7. ALIGNED FRAMEWORK

The Steering Group have agreed an aligned Aligned to Liverpool City Region framework to support all St Helens arts decision- making and this has informed the key priorities Cultural Compact Strategic outlined in the Strategy. The framework aligns Action Plan: decision-making to national, regional and local arts and funding priorities and so enables continuing Liverpool City Council’s Cultural Strategy and the access to national, regional and local resource, Cultural Compact priorities for Liverpool City Region support and partnership. have recently been developed. It is crucial that St Helens Arts Strategy is also aligned to these Aligning to Arts Council England: priorities. The Cultural Compact will be aligned to ACE, and the existing Cultural Partnership Board The St Helens Arts Strategy aligns to Arts Council will be responsible for agreeing and delivering the England’s new 10-year strategy, Let’s Create. It strategy. The Cultural Compact will also lead on the aligns itself to both ACE Investment Principles and regional relationship with key funders. the three Let’s Create outcomes: • Creative People Aligned to St Helens • Cultural Communities; and Borough Council: Finally, it is critical that the strategy aligns with • Creative and Cultural Country. St Helens Borough Council priorities in particular with the re-development of St Helens town centre and the support of skills development for borough residents.

36 37 8. INVESTMENT PRINCIPLES

ACE Investment Principles should be considered first, followed by those of the Liverpool City Region Cultural Compact and finally the financial realities of the Council’s and the partners.

38 39 APPENDIX 1 St Helens Arts Strategy Full List of Consultees (one to one meetings) Please note all job titles relate to those current at the time of the consultation, February and March 2020.

Surname First name Job Titles / Role Organisation Surname First name Job Titles / Role Organisation Beardsworth Jane Senior Relationship Manager Arts Council England Harris Lisa Executive Director, Place Services St Helens Borough Council Bennett Iain Consultant Liverpool City Council Helsby Ron Executive Director The World of Glass Benyon Roy Head of Place & Delivery St Helens Borough Council Lamb Fay Chief Executive Citadel Arts Bixter Evonne St. Helens LCEP Development Officer St Helens Borough Council Littler Steve Senior Assistant Director, Place & Growth St Helens Borough Council Boocock David Service Manager, Libraries & Leisure St Helens Borough Council Lovell Sarah Cultural Co-ordinator Liverpool City Region Combined Authority Boothroyd Kathryn Library Services Manager St Helens Borough Council Mawson Tracy Deputy CEO St Helens Chamber Bowes Andy Founder / Studio Manager Catalyst Studios McCauley Cllr Richard Cabinet Member Economic St Helens Borough Council Bullock Sarah St Helens Borough Council Assistant Director - Policy & Change Regeneration & Housing Wigan Council Brewster Maria Consultant McColgan Culture Liverpool St Helens Borough Council Claire Director Burns Cllr Anthony Cabinet Member, Public Health, Morris David Volunteer Director Lucem House Community Leisure & Libraries Cinema Plus+ Coleman Dermot Board Member Economy Board Nolan Chantelle Theatre Manager St Helens Theatre Royal Corner Lee Consultant in 2017 for St Helens LAC. Ltd. O’Brien Sarah Strategic Director Peoples Services (CCG) St Helens Borough Council Borough Council Quinn Mark Musical Director The Haydock Band Doforo Miguel MD Creatives CEO Shea Cath Arts Development Manager St Helens Borough Council Eakin Michael Liverpool City Region Music Chair Sleith Jeremy Head of Music Service St Helens Borough Council Board / Liverpool Arts The Shakespeare North Regeneration Consortium Tabbron Ian CEO Playhouse Fogarty Cath Executive Director, Corporate Services St Helens Borough Council Üstek Fatos Director Liverpool Biennial Forster Sue Director Public Health St Helens Borough Council Weetman Claire Artist / Founder Platform Studios Fox Patrick Director Heart of Glass Greenall Ian Curriculum Manager, HE Arts Faculty St Helens College Groucutt Cllr Kate Cabinet Member Corporate Services, St Helens Borough Council Estates & Communication

40 41 APPENDIX 2 APPENDIX 3 Steering Group Members SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis workshop participants

Surname First name Job Titles / Role Organisation Surname First name Job Titles / Role Organisation Bixter Evonne St. Helens LCEP Development Officer St Helens Borough Council Benyon Roy Head of Place & Delivery St Helens Borough Council Boocock David Service Manager, Libraries & Leisure St Helens Borough Council Bixter Evonne St. Helens LCEP Development Officer St Helens Borough Council Boothroyd Kathryn Library Services Manager St Helens Borough Council Bowes Andy Founder / Studio Manager Catalyst Studios Burns Cllr Anthony Cabinet Member, Public Health, St Helens Borough Council Boocock David Service Manager, Libraries & Leisure St Helens Borough Council Leisure & Libraries Boothroyd Kathryn Library Services Manager St Helens Borough Council Dempsey Kat Deputy Director Heart of Glass Burns Cllr Anthony Cabinet Member, Public Health, St Helens Borough Council Helsby Ron Executive Director The World of Glass Leisure & Libraries Lamb Fay Chief Executive Citadel Arts Bullock Sarah Assistant Director - Policy & Change St Helens Borough Council Nolan Chantelle Theatre Manager St Helens Theatre Royal Doforo Miguel CEO MD Creatives Quinn Mark Musical Director The Haydock Band Dukes Thomas Arts in Libraries Officer St Helens Borough Council Shea Cath Arts Development Manager St Helens Borough Council Greenall Ian Curriculum Manager, HE Arts Faculty St Helens College Sleith Jeremy Head of Music Service St Helens Borough Council Helsby Ron Executive Director The World of Glass Weetman Claire Artist / Founder Platform Studios Hutchings Owen Senior Arts in Libraries Officer St Helens Borough Council Lamb Fay Chief Executive Citadel Arts Lovell Sarah Cultural Co-ordinator Liverpool City Region Combined Authority Morris David Volunteer Director Lucem House Community Cinema Plus+ Nolan Chantelle Theatre Manager St Helens Theatre Royal Quinn Mark Musical Director The Haydock Band Shea Cath Arts Development Manager St Helens Borough Council Shone Kate Managing Director Torus Foundation Sleith Jeremy Head of Music Service St Helens Borough Council Weetman Claire Artist / Founder Platform Studios

42 43 APPENDIX 4: IMAGE CREDITS

Cover image: We Are Still Here by Simon Pg. 14. Participant taking part in furniture design Pg. 22. Haydock Male Voice Choir performing at Pg. 34. St.Helens Sinfonietta performing at the Mckeown and BuzzHub St Helens CDP, workshops, led by Passsoul, Newton-le-Willows Haydock Library, 2018; a commemorative concert Theatre Royal, accompanied by young people commissioned by Heart of Glass in partnership based artist duo. This work was enabled through for the 140th Anniversary of the Wood Pit Disaster. from St Helens Music Service and an adult choir. with DaDaFest, December 2018. Photo credit: a Prototype Project commission in 2015 from Photo credit: Gavin Wallace. Pg. 25. Artist Bernadette Hughes, performing Andy Salkeld. Heart of Glass. Photo credit: Stephen King. Travels with Flora Dunkhill at Rainhill Library, 2019. Part Pg. 37. I Believe in Unicorns by Wizard Presents. Pg. 2. Musician Jessie Robinson; lead singer, Pg. 17. Union, a painting by Amy and Wayne of a weekend of cultural activity commemorating the Performed at Newton Le Willows Library as part songwriter, guitarist and manager with the band Robinson, 2019. Part of the collaborative dialogue 190th anniversary of the Rainhill Trials, programmed of the Cultural Hubs programme, 2014. Photo Scarlet. SOUNDCLOUD: www.soundcloud.com/ series: Home. Conversations in paint, made on as part of Cultural Hubs, arts in Libraries. credit: Karen Thornburn. jessiescarlet Photo credit: Jon Mo Photography. their kitchen table. Pg. 26. Artwork made by young people, led by Pg. 38. St Helens Youth Dance Festival at Pg. 5. Westfest Music Festival 2018. Pg. 18. Artist Debbie Adele Cooper with her artist Claire Weetman. Project initiated by CulturEd, St Helens Theatre Royal, co-ordinated by dance sculpture St Helens Through the Lens, created St Helens Local Cultural Education Partnership. practitioner Karen Elliot. Pg. 6. BA (Hons) Fine Art Painting Degree student, as part of a residency with St Helens Library St Helens College University Centre, 2018. Pg. 29. School workshop with young people as Pg. 47. My Dad - The World’s Greatest Failure Service, enabled through the National Lottery part of CulturEd, the St Helens Local Cultural by Ian Greenall. Commissioned by St Helens Pg. 9. St Helens Youth Dance Festival at St Heritage Fund, 2016. Work on display at Newton Education Partnership programme. Library Service as part of the Cultural Hubs Helens Theatre Royal, co-ordinated by dance Le Willows Library. programme for the launch of the Summer practitioner Karen Elliot. Pg. 30. The Year of the Rat Collective performing Pg. 21. Haunted Furnace at The World of Glass. Reading Challenge 2015. at Madlove Take Over in 2019 as part of their Pg. 10. A Proper St Helens Knees Up, Performance artist Marisa Carnesky collaborated work on the BA (Hons) Theatre and Performance performed at The Citadel, 2016. Culmination with Lisa Lee, artist Victoria Edgerton, and a Degree, St Helens College University Centre. of a collaborative theatre project between the group of 27 young women to create an interactive Madlove Take Over co-curated by Emily Gee, artists Eggs Collective and residents at Parr performance inspired by the history of the World Mary Osborn and James Leadbitter and Mount Court, Raglan Court and Reeve Court. of Glass furnace. The performance took over the commissioned by Heart of Glass. Commissioned by Heart of Glass. underground tunnels of the original Pilkington’s Pg. 33. The Year of the Rat Collective performing Pg. 13. Author Frank Cottrell-Boyce at Chester Glass factory (now the World of Glass Museum). at Madlove Take Over in 2019 as part of their Lane Library following a book reading and The project was part of the Heart of Glass’ work on the BA (Hons) Theatre and Performance conversation with primary school children. TakeOverFest 2015, developed and directed by Degree, St Helens College University Centre. Programmed as part of Take Over Festival 2018, SCOTTEE. Photo credit: Stephen King. Madlove Take Over co-curated by Emily Gee, presented by Heart of Glass in partnership with Mary Osborn and James Leadbitter and St Helens Libraries. commissioned by Heart of Glass.

44 45 APPENDIX 5: ENDNOTES

1 Cultural Compacts are partnerships designed 9 The Town Deal Board was formed to lead on to support the local cultural sector and enhance the development of a locally owned Town its contribution to development, with a specific Investment Plan. emphasis on cross-sector engagement beyond 10 Placemaking refers to a collaborative process the cultural sector itself and the local authority. by which we can shape our public realm in order 2 These ACE priorities are explained further in to maximize shared value. Section 4 of this document. 11 The Cultural Cities Enquiry came together to 3 Town Deal is explained further in Section 4 develop a new model to help culture flourish in of this document. cities in the context of diminishing public funding in UK. The enquiry aimed to consider how we 4 Please refer to Appendix 1 for a full list can radically increase the ability of our cities of consultees. to use culture to drive inclusive growth, noting 5 A list of Steering Group members can be found that the value of culture to our civic life is now at Appendix 2. indisputable. The Cultural Cities Enquiry Report 6 A list of people attending the SWOT (Strengths, was published in 2019. Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis workshop can be found at Appendix 3. 7 The Liverpool City Region Strategic Investment Fund (SIF) is the key funding tool for promoting economic growth for the Region. It supports the delivery of the City Region’s strategic priorities as well as unlocking potential and accelerating growth. 8 The English Cities Fund is a joint venture set up by three partners – Homes England, Legal & General and Muse Developments. Since 2001, they have delivered some of the country’s most complex and successful urban regeneration projects.

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